Medieval white stone tombstones of the Trinity Cathedral necropolis

Abstract

The necropolis at Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery is a unique phenomenon in the history of medieval Russia, which has been studied for over half a century. The collection of medieval tombstones is the largest collection in Russia. The necropolis originated around the main shrine, the Trinity Cathedral, and during its first century of existence it occupied a considerable space from the cathedral — to the east to the altar of the present-day Trapeznaya, to the north to the present-day site of the Assumption Cathedral. The cemetery continued to be intensively replenished until the beginning of the XVIII century. Archaeological research of the monastery's cemetery was never conducted — they came to archaeologists during excavation works, restoration of architectural monuments and planning of the territory. Significant number of ancient gravestones of XV — beginning of XVI centuries was lost in connection with the arrangement of new burial places, household earthworks, construction of new buildings. The lists of tombstones, made in the monastery in XVII century and finds of gravestones, fixed in the last 70 years, contain important information. The formation of the necropolis followed the principles of ancestral cemeteries, which is confirmed by the lists of tombstones drawn up in the XVII century and by archaeological finds.

The prestige of the cemetery near the cathedral led to a high density of graves in this area — it was covered by a «carpet» of slabs lying in rows close to each other, with paths between them. The density of the area around the Trinity Cathedral was a prerequisite for the emergence of a unique phenomenon in the history of medieval monastic necropolises — the installation of a slab in the place of a future grave by the owner, with an inscription stating who «occupied the place». Although many of the tombstones have not survived, the process of discovering new monuments and researching the monastic necropolis continues.